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Summer is coming to an end but my love for watermelon never will! I love making recipes that put a spin on something classic, it keeps things fun and interesting! I already have all the heart emoji eyes for tomato based salsas and now I’m obsessed with this rainbow watermelon salsa!

My mom’s side of the family are really good at farming/gardening and BIG on growing melons, especially watermelon! Some years we’re literally swimming in all the extra melons and I absolutely love it! It’s one of my favorites next to honey dew. It’s so good on a hot 100 degree day during the summer in Sacramento, like literally life saving!

Want to know the secrets to picking the perfect watermelon?! Oh good, I thought you would *wink*

Pick up the watermelon and give the bottom of it a good thump, it should have a hollow sound to it. Also, look at the underbelly of the watermelon, it should have a creamy yellow patch where it sat on the ground, this indicates that it is ripe for the picking and you’ve scored yourself a winner!

Once you’ve picked a winner cut that baby up, I suggest a serrated watermelon knife, and make you some delicious Salsa! If you have extra, make an aqua fresca or this refreshing watermelon salad! I made this recipe mild but add more jalepeno or more seeds to amp up the spiciness factor! I created this recipe with my friends over at Vitacost where I picked up some plantain and Siete grain free tortilla chips to devour this with! I love shopping there to stock up on my pantry essentials! This salsa is also great served over a salad or a piece of fish for some great Whole30 options!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Vitacost. Thank you for supporting the companies that make Paleo Paparazzi possible! I only work with companies I’m passionate about & align with the mission of Paleo Paparazzi. As always, all thoughts are 100% my own.

Drinks like this remind me of our honeymoon to the Caribbean. We took a cruise starting in Puerto Rico and visited places like St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbados and St. Thomas. Although I wish we could’ve spent a whole week on our fave island, St. Lucia!

Sipping on drinks like this have me planning out a whole new trip there in my head, even if it’s just a pipe dream. But really, please take me back!!

I want to hike the Piton mountains this time, do more snorkeling and spend most days lying on the beach sipping drinks like this (even if they don’t have any rum in them lol!) I made this mocktail version of a lava flow but added in some gut healing and skin boosting collagen. It helps with all the things alcohol doesn’t making it a healthier but “this still tastes naughty” option. I’ll turn a blind eye if you want to make it into a cocktail though, haha!

This drink also contains some healthy fats and it’s dairy free and refined sugar free! I created it with my friends over at Vitacost! I want to give them a huge hug every time I get my delivery! They make my life so much easier by keeping my pantry stocked full of healthier products like the collagen and coconut cream used in these drinks and I don’t even have to get out of my pj’s to shop! Cheers to healthy summer drinks and to shopping in your PJ’s!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Vitacost. Thank you for supporting the companies that make Paleo Paparazzi possible! I only work with companies I’m passionate about & align with the mission of Paleo Paparazzi. As always, all thoughts are 100% my own.

I’m having a love affair with fries this month, first it was all about the Carnitas Street Fries and now these Baked Zucchini Fries are having a moment in my kitchen. I can’t say I’m mad about it though, healthier fries still taste amazing. Plus they take any meal from ordinary to somethin to talk about at the next neighborhood bbq :)

The best way to keep them crispy is to give them enough space on the pan. If you crowd them too much they will just steam and you won’t achieve that crispy exterior everyone loves. Slimy limp fries are just sad and no one wants that! I like to cut mine fairly thin so they cook up faster about 1/4” thick.

Baked zucchini fries were one of the very first recipes I made when I started eating Paleo. One bite and Matt and I were instantly in love! I remember thinking, if I can eat this on a Paleo diet, count me in! Have you had zucchini fries? And if you have, have you dipped them in a garlic basil aioli? Sweet serendipity they’re GOOD!

You can use my homemade easy mayo to make the aioli or a paleo/Whole30 friendly one you like to speed up the process. Just be prepared because when you add in the basil and garlic, magic will happen! Dunk your crispy fries into them and you will want to give me a big ol hug, or you can just email me to thank me lol!

Easy peasy guacamole for any day of the week! Because what is life without Guacamole?! As a native Californian if you don’t know how to make guacamole, people give you the stink eye, lol! This is such a great dip for grain free chips or veggies. I love to add to my Jicama Street Tacos or top on my Carnitas Fries for some extra goodness! This recipe is paleo and Whole30 Friendly too!

You basically just add the magical mixture of some pretty simple to find items and you will be in guacamole heaven! It’s easy peasy limey squeezy!

Fellow foodie meet your new bestie, Whole30 Chicken Salad BLT Avocado Cups! The easiest, most tasty, healthy meal evahhh!! Use a ready made compliant rotisserie chicken from your supermarket and all your wildest dreams will come true (name that movie) I know, I know, cheesy but kind of true! If you’ve ever done a Whole30 you know that easy meals can really save your life! And this one is waving at you, it’s destiny!

I also used Primal Kitchen Mayo to make this even more of a breeze, but you can always use my Easy Whole30 Mayo too! This one is great for those who want something uber delicious but also simple to assemble for any meal of the day! Pre-cook the bacon ahead of time in the oven and you will thank me! Oven bacon is the bees knees, trust mean this one! I added in roasted pistachios which aren’t traditionally in a BLT but they add a great crunch factor and just up the flavor profile, making your taste buds happy campers!

I had fun creating this recipe with my favorite peeps over at Vitacost . They always help make my life a walk in the park by carrying all of my favorite Paleo and Whole30 friendly ingredients to keep my kitchen stocked! They carry tons of organic, gluten-free, dairy-free and non-GMO products, hallelujah! I’m so glad I found them!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Vitacost. Thank you for supporting the companies that make Paleo Paparazzi possible! I only work with companies I’m passionate about & align with the mission of Paleo Paparazzi. As always, all thoughts are 100% my own.

These quick crispy roasted sweet potatoes are honestly one of our go-to recipes for breakfast, lunch or dinner! You can never have enough crispy sweet potatoes in the house, at least ours! What I love about this recipe is that it is super fast to whip up and oh so satisfying. Like I could lock myself in the closet and eat the whole pan by myself, oops!

The key to making these crispy is to make them really small and cook them at a really high temperature in the oven. Just keep an eye on them because we want them crispy but not burned to smithereens! That would just be a crying shame!

We love to eat these with eggs and bacon for breakfast, but they are also pretty tasty on top of a salad for lunch in place of croutons or as a side for dinner with some roasted chicken, yum! You really can do so many things with this recipe, there are infinite possibilities!

To make this recipe even easier, cut the chunks ahead of time and store in the fridge so they are ready to go when you need them! Just store them in a covered container and you are good to go at the drop of a hat. You could cook them up ahead of time and refrigerate, but they won’t be as crispy the next day. You would have to pop them back in the oven and try to crisp up once again.

If you’re a sweet potato lover and hoarder, like me, you will want to make this recipe over and over and over again. I hope you love these crispy taters as much as we do! Happy roasting!

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a fun blogger’s retreat in gorgeous Monterey, California. We toured an incredible strawberry farm and ate the most delicious food all made with, you guessed it, strawberries. I cannot wait to share with you what I learned! Stay tuned for that post soon!

While I was there, I was able to reflect on why I eat the way I do, and the healing that has come from years of eating real foods that make my body feel so good. I started my paleo journey with a Whole30, that soon turned into a love of making and eating food the way it was intended to be eaten, preservative & chemical free.

The whole30 really changed my life and I will forever be grateful for that gift. That is why I just adore creating whole30 recipes. They are simple yet so flavorful and they give me the energy I need to get through the day without crashing.

I have gotten so many compliments on this recipe. While I don’t have kids, many moms tell me that their kids LOVE them, and that makes my heart sing! They’re the perfect finger food and once you pop, you can’t stop (I had to) They’re seriously the funnest thing ever to eat!! They make me feel like a kid all over again, and I love that so, so much!

I think the great thing about them, is that everything is packed into one delicious bite, the protein, fat & veggies! That way you don’t have to worry about you or you little ones eating everything on the plate, because you get it all in each bite you take! How awesome is that?! Finger lickin, chicken good!!

I’m so excited to finally have this recipe on the blog!! It’s one of the many recipes that I have shared on my Instagram, my Facebook page as well as the Whole30 recipes social media pages. I am slowly getting all my Whole30 recipes on here so you can find them easier and also pin them from here to Pinterest. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my little family does…the cat even likes them ;) Total score!

Add a bit of olive oil to a pan and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Set aside.

Grate zucchini and carrots in a food processor and set aside.

Wash chicken and pat dry.

Put chicken thighs, grated zucchini, grated carrots, green onion, dill, sautéed garlic, cumin, Coconut aminos and salt-and-pepper into your blender/food processor and grind up together for a few minutes until all ingredients are Incorporated.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of your meat mixture onto your greased baking sheet and use hands to flatten and mold a bit.

Brush tops of chicken poppers with oil.

Bake at 400° for approximately 25 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

You can broil for an additional 3 mins. If you want them to brown up a bit more.

Serve with a side of guacamole, salsa or an aioli sauce. I like mine with a garlic dill aioli.

When I first started cutting out as much processed junk as I could, mayo became one thing that was kinda hard for me to part with. I grew up on Best Foods mayo and it was kind of my thing. Like, I’m almost positive I was born with a jar of it in my hand. I grew up making potato salad and tuna salad at least once a week, so you can see why processed mayo was seriously my best friend, It was cheap, easy and creamy! But, I knew I had to give it up because it has processed oils, especially soy, something I HAD to cut out for sure because of my problems with endometriosis. Not to mention it contains preservatives, um, no thank you! My recipe for mayo is packed full of good healthy fats and protein minus the nasty additives. Say hello to easy homemade Paleo Mayonnaise!

When I began making it on my own, I only had a basic counter top blender and I used the slow drizzle method. Now don’t get me wrong, this method works perfectly fine (you can even do it by hand, hello arm cramp) and many people make it this way. But once I realized it was SO much easier to make it with an immersion stick blender, those days became a thing of the past. It takes literally seconds instead of minuets to make, and this method makes it much harder to mess up. Watch the video to see just how simple it really is! Now go get your mayo on, and slather that creamy goodness all over everythang! Because fat is the new black, oh yeah! P.S. this mayo is also Whole30 friendly and will save your life when doing one because you can use it as the base for many sauces!

Are you looking for a delicious appetizer for your Oscars party this weekend?! Well look no further because I’ve got you covered on this one! These earthy little morsels get a facelift in this recipe after you slather them with a healthy dose of olive oil, bake them, stuff them with a creamy avocado filling and add some salty, crunchy prosciutto to the mix! Holy drool!

This appetizer packs an amazing punch of flavor and is so cute to boot! Who doesn’t love crispy pork on top of everything? I mean, they even make bacon flavored ice cream because it rocks! Ok, well maybe if you’re Vegan, but even they miss pork because they make bacon flavored coconut and veggies! Once you pop you really cant stop with these babies, but you don’t have to worry because, unlike Pringles, they’re good for you, shhh!

These could also easily be made into a meal by using portobello mushrooms instead of the baby bellas and be equally if not more delicious! So, give them a go and let me know what you think!

Fold pieces of prosciutto in half and bake on lined baking sheet for 5 minutes, flip and bake for another 5 minutes on the other side. If it still isn't crispy enough, set oven to broil and cook for an additional minute. Set aside to cool.

Remove mushroom stems. Gently rinse under cool water and pat dry with paper towel. Place mushrooms gill side up on lined baking sheet and use a basting brush to coat caps and sides of mushrooms with olive oil.Sprinkle salt on each mushroom if desired and place into 425 degree oven for about 5-6 minutes.

Remove mushrooms from oven and dump out any moisture that collected inside the mushrooms while baking. Gently pat each mushroom dry with a paper towel. Set aside to cool.

Slice avocado and remove pit. place avocado flesh into a high speed blender (I used a vitamix) or food processor along with baby spinach,lemon juice, basil leaves, parsley, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper and blend until smooth.Taste test and adjust flavor as needed.

I have a serious affinity for apple nachos. They are not only really simple and fun to make, they are a perfect fall treat! I always get really excited to make them when apples are coming in to season, but really you can make them any old time as apples are almost always available. I will add that they do taste even better with fresh in season apples though, just sayin! We love heading up to Apple Hill this time of the year to our favorite organic apple growers farm to stock up, picking apples in the fall just gives me all the feels!